Welch to Retire as President/CEO at Grange Insurance; Ammendola to Assume the Posts

Tom Welch, president and CEO of Columbus, Ohio-based Grange Insurance, has announced that he will retire as of January 2015. The company’s board of directors has elected John Ammendola, executive vice president and chief property and casualty officer, to assume the president and CEO position effective Jan. 1, 2015.

Welch has been with Grange Insurance since 2001 when he joined as president of the Grange Life Insurance Co. and later served as vice president and chief financial officer until being named president and CEO in 2011. Under Welch’s leadership Grange’s surplus exceeded $1 billion — a first in the company’s 79-year history.

Ammendola joined Grange in 2010 as president of personal lines and became chief property and casualty officer in 2013. Under his direction, the personal lines business returned to profitable growth and the company began to diversify its portfolio through continued investments and growth in its commercial lines business.

Ammendola’s record of building and leading high performing teams in the industry includes serving as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Kemper Insurance Co. He also successfully served as senior vice president of finance and strategy at Safeco Insurance Co. after leading Safeco’s personal lines business as senior vice president. Ammendola started his insurance career with GEICO, where he served in claims, sales and underwriting leadership roles.